Next-gen networks scrutinised

2009-05-26 16:49

Johannesburg - Chair of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), Paris Mashile, on Tuesday warned future providers of Next Generation Networks (NGN) that they would be held accountable for service delivery.

Speaking at a breakfast function in Rosebank, Mashile said: "NGNs and the use of broadband are the panacea, unlike mobile services had promised to be. I always said that mobile (services) wouldn't be a panacea.

"Bandwidth on demand has to be a defining feature of service. It will redefine our nation, and become a catalyst for the growth of the economy, through online shopping, high-definition television, entertainment, and the way we bank."

Local mobile operators see Next Generation Networks as integral to their evolution.

Mashile said: "Quality of service will be key for NGN providers, and Icasa will hold Neotel to its promise of quality service provision, where current operators have been able to get away with people's hard-earned cash.

"We are going to continue to hold their feet to the fire in that regard," he said.

Touching on the regulation of future networks, Mashile said that regulatory effects of converged networks and interconnection would see a return to simple networks. "We would no longer be defining the types of services, but rather content and data on that service," he said.